Umm Kulthum bint Ali

Zaynab al-Ṣughrā (Arabic: زَيْنَب ٱلصُّغْرَىٰ, lit. 'Zaynab the Younger'), also known by her kunya Umm Kulthūm bint ʿAlī (Arabic: أُمّ كُلْثُوم بِنْت عَلِيّ), was the granddaughter of Muhammad and the daughter of Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the fourth rāshidūn caliph (r. 656–661) and the cousin, son-in-law, and companion (ṣaḥāba) of Muhammad—through his marriage with Fāṭimah, and wife of the second rāshidūn caliph and companion (ṣaḥāba) of Muhammad,ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (r. 634–644)

Umm Kulthūm bint ʿAlī
أُمّ كُلْثُوم بِنْت عَلِيّ
Born
Zaynab al-Ṣughrā

4 February 627 CE
(18 Rabi' al-awwal AH 6)
Medina, Hejaz, Arabia (present-day KSA)
Died
Damascus, Umayyad Empire (present-day Syria)
Resting placeSayyidah Zaynab Mosque, Damascus, or Bab al-Saghir Cemetery, Damascus, Syria
Known forGranddaughter of Muhammad
Spouses
Children
Parents
Relatives
FamilyAhl al-Bayt (Banu Hashim)

Whether or not she was married to the second rāshidūn caliph, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (r. 634–644), is a disputed topic between the Sunnīs and some Twelver Shīʿa Muslims. The fact that her father Ali named two of his sons after the first and second caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar strengtens the sunnis claim that she was in fact married by Ali to Umar. [1] She is given the epithet "the Younger" to distinguish her from her older sister, Zaynab the Elder (Zaynab al-Kubra).[4]

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Family

She was born around 6 AH[5] as the fourth child of Ali and of Muhammad's daughter, Fatima. Her siblings were Hasan, Husayn and Zaynab al-Kubra.[6]: 18  Muhammad gave her the kunya 'Umm Kulthum' because she closely resembled his daughter, Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad, Zaynab's maternal aunt.[7]

First marriage

Sunni belief

Ali originally wanted his daughters to marry his brother Ja'far's sons, but Umm Kulthum's hand in marriage was requested by the Caliph, who promised, "No man on the face of the earth will treat her better than I will."[6]: 299 

Ali protested that she had not yet reached puberty,[6]: 299, 300  but Umar commanded that she be presented to him. Ali gave his daughter a striped garment and instructed her: "Take this to the Commander of the Faithful and tell him: 'My father says, "If you like this garment, keep it; if you don't like it, return it."'" When Umm Kulthum brought this message to Umar, she reported, "He did not undo the garment nor look at anything except at me." He told her that he was pleased, and so Ali consented to the marriage.[6]: 299–300  Umar gave his bride a dower of 40,000 dirhams,[8] and the marriage was consummated in November or December 638 (Dhu'l-Qaada 17 AH).[9]

They had two children, Zayd and Ruqayya.[6]: 299, 300 [10] Ruqayya later married Ibrahim, a son of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, by whom she had a daughter.[11]

One story from their married life tells how Umm Kulthum sent a gift of perfume to the Empress of Byzantium. The Empress sent back a "superb" necklace for Umm Kulthum. Umar believed that his wife should not have conducted a private correspondence at the expense of the state postal service, so he reimbursed her for the cost of the perfume and placed the Empress's necklace in the state treasury.[12] Nevertheless, it was said that Umar treated Umm Kulthum "with extreme honour and respect" because she was Muhammad's granddaughter.[13]

Twelver Shia belief

However, much of Twelver Shiites believe that her marriage with Umar did not occur and she married Awn ibn Jafer(Ja'far) ibn Abi Talib, then (after his death) to his younger brother Muhammad.[14]

Subsequent marriages

After Umar's death in 644, Umm Kulthum married her young cousin, Ja'far's son Awn,[27] for a dower of 4,000 dirhams. Her brother Hasan remarked that he had never seen such passionate love as Umm Kulthum's for Awn. However, Awn died after only a short time.[28]

After Awn's death, Ali married Umm Kulthum to Awn's brother Muhammad,[6]: 299 [15] again for 4,000 dirhams. But Muhammad also died.[28]

After the death of her husband Muhammad, Umm Kulthum became one of the wives of Awn and Muhammad's eldest brother, Abdullah,[31] who had divorced her sister Zaynab al-Kubra.[32]. With respect to divorce the book of Muhammad Al-Munajjid discloses that Zaynab died while married to him (Abdullah ibn Ja'far).[33] Umm Kulthum remarked: "I was not shy with [my mother-in-law] Asma bint Umays. Two of her sons died while married to me, but I did not fear this for the third."[6]: 299 

Umm Kulthum had no children by any of her three latter marriages.[6]: 299 

Battle of Karbala

She is reported to have been present at the Battle of Karbala, during which her earrings were taken from her by an attacking soldier.[34][35] Afterwards, Umm Kulthum is said to have given a eulogy condemning the people of Kufa for abandoning her brother Husayn, who was killed in the battle.[36]

Death
Tomb of Umm Kulthum bint Imam Ali at Bab al-Saghir, Damascus
Picture of her shrine at Bab al-Saghir, Damascus, taken from the outside

Umm Kulthum and her son Zayd died at the same time, in Abdullah's lifetime. Eighty people attended their funeral,[6]: 299  where Sa'id ibn al-'As conducted the prayers, and the congregation included Abdullah ibn Umar and Abu Hurairah.[37]

Umm Kulthum is buried in Baab Sagheer cemetery in Damascus, Syria . The Mausoleum of Umm Kulthum is located in Arrawiya village in Damascus.

Fatimids believe that she is also known as "Zaynab the Younger" and that she is buried at Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque, Damascus; whereas Zaynab the Elder lived at the end of her life in Cairo[38] and was buried there at Al-Sayeda Zainab Mosque.[39]

See also

References
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  2. Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir. Mir'at ul-Oqool. Vol. 21. p. 199.
  3. Al-Tusi, Nasir Al-Din. Al-Mabsoot. Vol. 4. p. 272.
  4. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid. Kitab al-Irshad. Volume 1, p. 354.
  5. Shams ad-Din al-Dhahabi. Siyar A`lam al-Nubala'. (2001). Volume 3: Kibar al-Tabi'in, p. 500. Beirut: Resalah Publishing House.
  6. Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir Volume 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). The Women of Madina. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
  7. Abbas al-Qumi. Al-Kuna wal al-Alqab. (1989). Volume 1 (5th edition), p. 228.
  8. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Smith, G. R. (1994). Volume 14: The Conquest of Iran, p. 101. Albany: State University of New York Press.
  9. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Juynboll, G. H. A. (1989). Volume 13: The Conquest of Iraq, Southwestern Persia, and Egypt, pp. 109-110. Albany: State University of New York Press.
  10. Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). The Companions of Badr, p. 204. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
  11. ibn Sa'd, Muhammad; Bewley, Aisha (2000). The Men of Madina. Vol. Two. Ta-Ha. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-897940-90-7.
  12. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Humphreys, R. S. (1990). Volume 15: The Crisis of the Early Caliphate, p. 28. Albany: State University of New York Press
  13. Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Kathir. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya. Translated by Le Gassick, T. (2000). The Life of the Prophet Muhammad Volume 4, p. 438. Reading, UK: Garnet Publishing.
  14. Umar's Marriage to Umm Kulthum in Shiite Narrations. LPGA (n.d) Retrieved from https://www.al-islam.org/critical-assessment-umm-kulthums-marriage-umar-sayyid-ali-al-husayni-al-milani/section-4-umars.
  15. Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Kathir. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya. Translated by Le Gassick, T. (2000). The Life of the Prophet Muhammad Volume 4, pp. 418, 438. Reading, U.K.: Garnet Publishing.
  16. Shustari, Qazi Nurullah. Majalis ul-Mo'mineen. pp. 85–89.
  17. al-Murtaza, Sharif. Al-Shaafi. p. 116.
  18. Al-Hadid, Hibatullah. Sharh Nahj ul-Balagha. Vol. 3. p. 124.
  19. Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir. Bihar al-Anwar. p. 621.
  20. Ardabili, Muqaddas. Hadiqat al-Shi'a. p. 277.
  21. Shustari, Qazi Nurullah. Masa'ib un-Nawasib. p. 170.
  22. Al-Amili, Zayn al-Din al-Juna'i. "Lawahiq-al-'Aqd". Masalik al-Ifham fi Sharh Shara-il-Islam. Vol. 1.
  23. Qumi, Abbas. Muntahi al-Aamal. Vol. 1. p. 186.
  24. Shahidi, Sayyed Ja'far. Life of Fatemeh Zahra(SA). pp. 263–265.
  25. Baqir, Muhammad. Mir'at ul-Uqool. Vol. 21. p. 199.
  26. Al-Tusi, Nasir Al-Din. Al-Mabsoot. Vol. 4. p. 272.
  27. [6]: 299 [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]
  28. Guillaume, A. (1960). New Light on the Life of Muhammad, p. 51. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
  29. Al-Tusi, Nasir Al-Din. Al-Mabsoot. pp. Volume 4, pg 272.
  30. Baqir, Muhammad. Mir'at ul-Uqool. pp. Volume 21, pg 199.
  31. [6]: 299 [15][29][30]
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  34. al-Qurashi, Baqir Shareef. The Life of Imam Husain (as). p. 1502.
  35. Muzaffari. Tarikh. p. 208.
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  37. Nasa'i 3:21:1980.
  38. "Balaghatun Nisa", by Abul Fazl Ahmad bin Abi Tahir
  39. The Shi'i World: Pathways in Tradition and Modernity; edited by Farhad Daftary, Amyn Sajoo, Shainool Jiwa; page 216
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